Maastricht railway station


Maastricht railway station is located in Maastricht in Limburg, Netherlands. It is the main railway station in Limburg's capital city. It is the southern terminus of the –Maastricht intercity service by NS. Additionally, Arriva and the Belgian NMBS serve the station with local trains.

History

The station opened on 23 October 1853 together with the. In 1856, a railway connection to was opened. Both lines are now closed. In 1861, the Liège-Maastricht railway connection was opened. It was not before the opening of the Maastricht–Venlo railway in 1865, that Maastricht was connected to the rest of the Netherlands.
Due to the fortified character of the town, the first railway station was in fact situated outside of Maastricht, within the municipality of Meerssen. The first station was built out of wood, so that in case of enemy attack, the station could quickly be demolished. The municipality borders were adjusted in 1907, thus making the station part of the municipality of Maastricht. The current, brick building was built in 1913, designed by George Willem van Heukelom. Due to the station's international connections, the station housed border customs. Even though trains from Belgium still call at Maastricht, passport and security checks have gone with the implementation of the Schengen Agreement. The former customs space is now used for small shops, such as a flower boutique, Albert Heijn, HEMA and some snack stores.

Plans

There are plans for reopening the line to Hasselt as a tramway. Twice an hour, a tram should run from Maastricht station through the center to the nearby town of Lanaken, and further as a light rail train to Bilzen and Hasselt. According to plan, passengers should be able to travel by tram in 2018.

Train services

The following train services call at this station:

City buses

▪︎15: Eijsden- Maastricht
▪︎30: Sittard–Geleen–Beek–MAA–Meerssen–Maastricht
▪︎57: Maastricht–Gronsveld–Eckelrade–St. Geertruid–Mheer–Noorbeek–Heyenrath–Epen–Mechelen–Partij–Gulpen
▪︎350 : Maastricht–Cadier en Keer–Margraten–Gulpen–Wahlwiller–Nijswiller–Lemiers–Vaals–Aachen
▪︎610 : Simpelveld–Bocholtz–Nijswiller–Wahlwiller–Gulpen–Margraten–Cadier en Keer–Maastricht